More than 16MP for APS-C are coming, whether we like it or not. It's not that manufacturers, like Pentax, are trying to avoid their responsibility for "make it less, but better", and insist on ultimate quality before anything else.

Rather, they are concerned about the prejudices of the market. They must breach the 20MP barrier in their next DSLRs, because some nerd and pixel peeping fascist will proclaim that 16MP is the way of yesterday, and there's 'no significant loss' when going for more pixels. And leave that 'loss' for interpretation.

So you can read MP not as MegaPixels, but MegaPleas. 24 More MegaPleas sound more convincing than 16 MegaPleas, even if they are just marginally and theoretically justifiable in real life of an average person.

There exist no proof whatsoever that lowering the MP count increases image quality.

One interesting idea would be for Pentax to issue two new cameras, not one. One with with 20MP and one with 24MP.

There is no visible difference between 20 and 24 MP, so that test is bogus.

And then leave it up to users to decide which they prefer. I really see a future advanced level DSLR to have a 24 MP, then the model in the league of today's K-5II (medium level) with 20MP, and a third level DSLR with a 16MP (current K30). Stratification is clear, and one can choose whatever number of pixels that suits their workflow. APS-C DSLRs are so advanced and polished up today that not a single one would make a bad choice.

You are wasting your energy on the wrong issue. Go out and make pictures instead.